Tangled up in You
by WhatAThrowPillow
Summary: A cute one-shot fanfic of sixteen-year-olds Helga and Arnold at one of Rhonda Lloyd's parties. The song is Tangled up in Me by Skye Sweetnam. Rated T for language.


**Hello! This is my first Hey Arnold fanfiction. I hope you enjoy! I own none of the characters of Hey Arnold or the song, **_**Tangled up in Me.**_

Helga Pataki sat underneath the diamond chandelier with disgust written all over her face.

"Criminy, I hate Rhondaloid's parties."

She sighed and chugged the punch she was holding in her left hand. "At least the alcohol's good," she muttered.

The sixteen-year-old tomboy watched as her classmates grinded on one another in the middle of the dance floor, which was, in reality, Rhonda Wellington Lloyd's gigantic living room. She had to admit, the princess sure did have style.

"Helga! Darling!" A slightly inebriated Rhonda called out. "Come dance with us!"

Helga had no idea how she had been drafted into what she called the "Blonde Bimbos" group. Nadine, Lila and Rhonda had become some of her best friends in recent years, but damn, the girls they hung around were complete morons.

"I'm perfectly content sitting here, thank you very much."

"Whatever." Rhonda disappeared into the crowd once again.

An indistinguishable rap song was playing. "What is this crap, anyway?" she asked herself. Just when she was about to get the hell out of Dodge, a football-headed figure emerged from the crowd. _Oh no! Don't panic, Helga ol' girl, don't panic…_

"Hey, Helga." His voice didn't seemed slurred at all. _My pure, untainted angel_, Helga thought to herself.

"Hey, Arnoldo. What are you doing here, anyway?"

A confused look spread across his face. "Here, as in, at Rhonda's? Or talking to you?"

"Talking to me, of course," Helga scoffed.

"Well, I was going to ask if you wanted to dance."

Helga inwardly swooned. _He's asking me to dance! Oh, I think I'm going to die!_

"Dance? Oh no, Helga G. Pataki doesn't _dance_." She mentally punched herself. _What are you doing?! Idiot!_

"Oh. Alright then. Can I sit here and talk to you, then?"

"Whatever floats your boat," she said, sitting back down.

Arnold smiled. _She thinks she's so tough, but I can see right through her._ "Did you drink all that?" he asked suddenly, noting the empty cup in her hand.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" she asked in what she thought was a standoffish voice, but it came out all wrong. She felt herself beginning to relax.

"You, uh, feel okay?"

_Oh, Arnold. Ever the concerned friend, helping those in need. _

"Yeah, I'm good. What about you?"

He stared at her for a moment before smiling. "I'm good, too. I'd be better if you'd dance with me, though."

Helga couldn't bring herself to say "no" for a second time. When did he become so suave, anyway? She stood up as a song began to play.

_You wanna know more, more, more about me,_

_I'm the girl who's kicking the coke machine._

_I'm the one that's honking at you 'cause I left late again_

Arnold took her by the hand and led her into the middle of the dance floor.

_Hey, hey, hey  
>Can't you see I want you by the way I push you away, yeah<br>Don't judge me tomorrow by the way I'm acting today  
>Mix the words up with the actions do it all for your reaction yeah<br>Hey, hey,  
>Get tangled up in me<em>

People began to move out of the living room, complaining about the tween music. Helga and Arnold laughed as they belted out goofy dance moves, oblivious to the world around them.

_You wanna know more, more, more about me  
>Gotta know reverse psychology<br>I'm the reason why you can't get to sleep  
>I'm the girl you never get just quite what you see<br>_  
><em>Hey, hey, hey<br>Can't you see I want you by the way I push you away, yeah  
>Don't judge me tomorrow by the way I'm acting today<br>Mix the words up with the actions do it all for your reaction yeah  
>Hey, hey,<br>Get tangled up in me_

The living room was nearly empty by now. Arnold twirled Helga around and she obliged in her half-drunken state. "You know, this song kind of reminds me of you," Arnold said with half-lidded eyes.

A dreamy smile played across her face.

_You think that you know me  
>You think that I'm only [tangled up in me]<br>When everything I do is only to get tangled up in you  
>You wanna know more, more, more about me<br>I'm the girl that's sweeping you off your feet_

"Oh really, Arnoldo? Do I sweep you off your feet?"

"Yes," he stated simply.

_Hey, hey, hey  
>Can't you see I want you by the way I push you away, yeah<br>Don't judge me tomorrow by the way I'm acting today  
>Mix the words up with the actions do it all for your reaction, yeah<br>hey, hey,  
>Get tangled up in me <em>

As the song ended, Helga and Arnold looked at each other blissfully.

"That was fun," she said.

"See, I told you," Arnold replied. "You should dance with me more often."

"Maybe I will." Helga pulled Arnold toward her and kissed him. It was abrupt and chaste, but the taste of his lips lingered on hers for a full minute before she realized what she had done. She was about to offer an awkward explanation when a burst of applause greeted their ears.

All of their classmates had been making their way back onto the floor when they saw it happen. "Is that…is that Helga kissing Arnold?!" Rhonda screeched. She knew about Helga's love for Arnold and was thrilled that she had finally made a move.

Helga turned beet red. "I…" she began, but Arnold interrupted her with another kiss. "Dance with me again?" he asked. The room was filled with cheers.

She walked back to the dance floor hand-in-hand with Arnold, a wide smile gleaming on her face. She didn't even try to hide it.


End file.
